Good Advice, Bad Interpretation
by DrProfessor756
Summary: One shot. Set during the beginning of Kakashi's reign as Rokudaime. Shizune's frustrations with Kakashi's work ethic leave her utterly frustrated. Eventually Shizune consults Tsunade for ways to remedy the situation. Her advice is sound, but will it be enough to get through to the new Hokage?


**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto.**

The afternoon sun warmed the quaint gardens of the senju clan compound, perfectly representing the sense of calm and unity brought on by the established peace amongst the five great shinobi villages. A content oink could be heard from Ton-ton as she lounged on the lap of her owner, the former Hokage Tsunade Senju. The Godaime for her part was basking in the tranquility of her garden, sipping her daily tea, finally able to enjoy her retirement without a care in the world. Her moment of zen was abruptly interrupted upon hearing the furious pacing of her most loyal friend and disciple, Shizune.

Snatching the tea away from her mentor, Shizune plopped herself on the chair beside Tsunade huffing in annoyance and downing the tea in a single gulp. "No sake, you surprise me Lady Tsunade. You've always been a fan of giving your tea an extra kick."

_So much for finally getting some peace and quiet in my retirement. _"What can I say; now that I'm retired the urge to get plastered has lessened quite a bit. So what's got you in such a fine mood today, trouble with the new Hokage?"

"Uh, trouble doesn't even begin to describe the nightmare I'm dealing with right now." Shizune answered, laying her head on the table in a defeated fashion.

"Hmm, I see. Wait right here, I've got just what you need." Standing from her seat Tsunade left her apprentice wallowing in her self-pity only to return moments later with a bottle of sake and a pair of drinking glasses. Pouring Shizune and herself a glass, the Godaime sat back down grinning at the familiar site before her. "Well Shizune, I must say it's becoming quite the norm to see you looking so dejected. I wonder, have I made a mistake in choosing Hatake as the Rokudaime?"

Making quick work of the sake in front of her Shizune quickly served herself another before she began her rant. "No of course not Lady Tsunade, that's the most frustrating part. He has it within it to be a great Hokage, I just know it. When he sets his mind to it he does a great job, but those moments are few and far between. He spends most of his time running off to read his perverted books, leaving me to search for his lazy ass all across the village. By the time I manage to find him he gives me that infuriating eye smile of his and tells me that I need to learn to relax more in these times of peace." Finishing her third glass of sake she looked Tsunade straight in the eye and gave her a pleading look. "Lady Tsunade I'm thinking of resigning from the position, it's just been too much for me to handle."

Towering over her apprentice Tsunade gave Shizune her most intimidating glare as she reprimanded her former assistant. "Shizune, you will do no such thing. I'm well aware of Hatake's attributes and quirks but that is no excuse to quit. You are still my apprentice, and as such any actions you take are a direct reflection of me as your teacher. Last time I checked I taught you to be tough and to remain resilient in trying times." Lightening her tone she continued, "Besides, if you put up with my antics for so long I'm sure you'll find a way to get through Hatake as well. You just need to find something to motivate him to get the job done."

Shizune snorted, not completely sold on Tsunade's words of encouragement. "If only I knew what it is that would get him to take the position seriously."

"Your troubles actually remind me of a conversation I had a long time ago with the Sandaime's wife, Lady Biwako. She came to me exactly as you are now, venting her frustrations concerning the Sandaime's tendency to overwork himself, attempting to drink her frustrations away. I ended up encouraging her with the same words I gave to you, telling her to find something to motivate him to spend more time with her. About a week later she had come back singing a completely different tune, apparently figuring out a way to convince the Sandaime to see things her way."

Interest piqued, Shizune raised her head focusing her attention the Tsunade's story. "So how did she end up convincing the Sandaime to spend more time away from the office?"

"Well from what she told me she confronted him directly about the situation, and ended up offering him a truce. Every time the Sandiame left the office early she would give him a very 'loving' welcome upon his return home."

"So you're telling me that she seduced the Sandiame into getting what she wanted." Shizune finally spat out, sporting a determined look upon hearing the story.

"Well technically yes, she did seduce him. But the point I'm trying to make is that if you can find something to motivate Hatake you won't have to worry about him ditching the paperwork."

"Thank you Lady Tsunade, I know exactly what I need to do." Shizune declared with renewed confidence, leaving the Godaime to enjoy the rest of her afternoon.

**The Following Day**

The day began in the same manner it usually had for Shizune, finding the Hokage's office devoid of the Rokudaime, being forced to search for him all around the village. After what seemed like hours, she had finally managed to find the silver-haired hokage perched atop a tree branch outside of the training grounds, perverted book in hand.

"Kakashi Hatake, put that book away and get down from there, you and I need to have a serious talk." Shizune ordered, hands on her hips as she waited for the current Hokage to get down from the tree.

Kakashi for his part was taken aback; normally he would take his time and finish reading the page before finally acknowledging her presence. But in all of her time as his assistant Shizune has always addressed him as 'Hokage-sama' much to his displeasure, or at the very least Kakashi-san. So hearing her address him without any honorifics immediately brought his attention from his novel to the very pissed off kunoichi on the ground.

Leaping off the branch the silver-haired shinobi landed right in front of Shizune, body tense, wary of any physical assault the enraged kunoichi might attempt. "Shizune, may I just say that you look truly ravishing today, the way the sun-"

Channeling the mannerisms of her master, Shizune quickly cut him off. "Cut the crap Hatake, I'm growing tired of this game of cat and mouse you seem so intent on playing. If you don't get your ass back in the office and start completing your paperwork, let's just say you don't want to know what the consequences would be."

Not needing to be told twice, Kakashi immediately made his way towards his office to do as he was told. After a couple of hours of intense concentration, he had finally finished all of his paperwork and was now passed out on his desk, exhausted from having to actually complete his work. Truth be told, this had become part of their routine since he had taken office. Kakashi would skip out on his duties and give Shizune the runaround for a few days, and then she would finally reach her boiling point. She would then threaten him to a certain extent and he would ultimately comply with her request.

_I am definite taking the next few days off, all this desk work just isn't for me. I wonder when Naruto is going to be ready to take the office, I'll happily let him deal with all this paperwork. _The sound of footsteps broke his train of thought as he opened his eyes to gaze upon a smiling Shizune. After working with her for some time Kakashi definitely knew there was something off about that smile, noticing that it wasn't the usual smile she wore around him.

"Wow, I have to say I'm very pleased. I didn't think you had it in you to finish all this work by the end of the day. I really appreciate you doing this for me, Hogake-sama." She praised, the last part spoken in the most seductive voice she could muster.

Making her way around the desk, swaying her hips as she went, Shizune walked right behind the Hokage's chair and placed her hands on Kakashi's shoulders. Speaking again in a sultry tone so unlike her, she leaned against the now stupefied Hokage and whispered into his ear. "Let me show you just how much I appreciate all of your hard work, Hokage-sama."

**One Week Later**

Once again Tsunade found herself sitting amidst her garden, enjoying the tranquil scene before her as she sipped on her tea and gently caressed her pet pig. Just like the week before, she was joined by her loyal apprentice, Shizune. However, whereas last week her apprentice was a complete mess, frustrations and doubts filling her persona, this time Shizune seemed to be her calm, level-headed self. But at the same time she also seemed different, in a good way, as if she were genuinely happy. Knowing Shizune as well as she did, Tsunade knew these moments didn't come often for her apprentice.

"Shizune, what's got you in such a good mood, finally got Hatake to complete his duties in a timely fashion?" Tsunade inquired, obviously curious as to the cause of her apprentice's good mood.

"Yes, in fact he hasn't skipped out on his duties all week. I guess you could say I finally found a way to inspire him to finish all of his work on time." Blushing at the memories of said inspiration, she continued. "I owe it all to you Lady Tsunade, without your advice I wouldn't have been able to get through to him."

"Atta girl, I knew you figured out his weak spot the moment we had our talk last week." Tsunade praised, enveloping Shizune in a hug. "I mean come on, those stupid books are his most prized possession. So you have to tell me, what did you threaten to do to them if he didn't start to get his work done?"

**Fin**


End file.
